Richmond, VA Curfew Laws: Juvenile Curfew (2026)

the following day, and defines "minor" as any person under 18 who is not emancipated. Section 19-385 creates three separate offenses: it is unlawful for a minor to remain in any public place or on the premises of any establishment during curfew hours; unlawful for a parent or legal guardian to knowingly permit, or through insufficient control allow, a minor to remain out during curfew hours; and unlawful for a proprietor, manager, or other person in charge of an establishment to knowingly allow a minor, other than an employee, to remain on the premises during curfew hours.

A companion section, § 19-386, imposes an around-the-clock ban (not limited to curfew hours) inside police-designated drug-free zones and prostitution-free zones. Section 19-387 lists exceptions: minors accompanied by a parent or guardian, on an emergency errand, going to or from work, attending a city-, state-, school-, religious-, or civic-sponsored activity, or within 25 feet of their own residence are exempt, as are minors in interstate travel or exercising First Amendment rights. Before enforcement, § 19-388 requires a police officer to first give the apparent offender a chance to prove their age and explain a lawful reason for being present; a minor taken into custody is released to a parent or guardian if practicable, or taken to a City juvenile care center.